Fortnite: Battle Royale guide | Here’s how to play Fortnite: the most basic tips for beginners starting off in the free Battle Royale extravaganza

Figuring out how to play Fortnite might be a walk in Pleasant Park for veteran players, but for those who are just starting off in Epic Games’ battle royale, it can be tricky to get to grips with it quick enough to avoid getting shotgunned in the face. Our list of Fortnite tips are sure to help out, but if it’s your absolute first time diving from the Battle Bus - don’t worry, we’ve all been there - just glance below for 19 basic pointers on how to play Fortnite. Everything ranging from landing tips to how to consume shield potions is below, but I’ve saved the best advice for right now: practise, practise, practise so that you're totally ready for the first few weeks of Fortnite season 5 . That’s one surefire way to get good at Fortnite ASAP, but in the meantime follow these tips and you’ll find yourself in the top 25 in no time.

1. You can’t take the things you pick up on Spawn Island with you

When you spawn into Spawn Island you’ll see guns, ammo, and building materials scattered around just waiting to be grabbed. And you can grab them - but they won’t come with you into the Fortnite map. Treat Spawn Island as a practise area for how to play Fortnite, although you’ll probably only be there for a minute at most while the game fills up with 100 players. You can shoot anyone in the vicinity but the guns won’t do any damage, or if you’re being a temporary pacifist, try your hand at building a quick sniping hut (more details on how to do that below in point 8).

2. Wait as long as possible to drop from the Battle Bus

The Battle Bus’ horn will honk as soon as you’re able to drop from it onto the map below, but resist the urge to join the crowd of players who leap from it asap. Instead wait until there’s about 3 seconds to go before the Battle Bus reaches the end of its flight path, then leap out. You’ll have little to no players to compete with for landing spots, which means there’s a smaller chance of getting gunned in the face in your first two minutes of the match and less competition for loot. Aim towards a house or structure when you’re gliding as there’s a high chance of a chest being inside it, or at the very least some basic loot. Just hit the roof with your pickaxe to get in. Speaking of the glider...

3. Your glider deploys automatically 

When you’re plummeting down from the Battle Bus, there is no way to make your glider deploy later as it automatically opens when you reach a certain height over the ground below. That’s all there is to it. It only folds up once you’ve landed, so just stay patient and make a beeline for the nearest structure.

4. Drink small shield potions before glugging a large one

Around the map you’ll find both small and large blue bottles, which give you 25 shield and 50 shield respectively if you use your right trigger to drink them (the same button you use for firing your gun). Once you have 50 or higher shield you can’t consume any more small bottles, so make sure to drink them first so you don’t have them burning up a slot in your inventory. You can chug large shield potions no matter the level your shield is at, so if you only have one of them go ahead: pop the lid, and gulp it down asap.

5. Assault rifles or SMGs are good beginner weapons

As a general rule, stick to assault rifles or SMGs when you’re first figuring out how to play Fortnite. Sniper rifles are useless under 75 metres, so although you’ll want to keep one handy do not use it in close quarters combat unless you absolutely have to. Another thing to bear in mind when you’re figuring out how to play Fortnite is if/when you’re shooting someone up close and personal, you’ll want to prioritise your shotgun. Shotguns - surprise surprise - do a ton of damage and are good for one-hit kills, so keep one in your hands when you’re exploring houses, basements, or any other small spaces.

6. Pay attention to the rarity scale

Grey guns are the most common, with green, blue, purple, and gold being the ascending order of rarity. Gold guns like the minigun and SCAR assault rifle are incredibly powerful, so don’t pass them up if you see them lying around. Hit Up on the D-pad to bring up your inventory, and if you hover over the guns you’ll be able to see how much damage they do if you’re having trouble deciding which to keep.

7. Play with headphones on

Make sure you have a pair of decent headphones nestled on your ears, as hearing the sound of footsteps (or, more likely, gunshots) and being able to figure out what direction they’re coming from can be the difference between life and respawning in Fortnite. Knowing which direction players are coming from gives you valuable seconds to prepare, whether that’s switching to a shotgun or building a quick bit of cover.

8.  Build cover before you heal

While I’m on the subject of building, always, always, always build walls around you before you start to heal. Both healing and drinking shield potions take valuable seconds to consume (up to 10 seconds for a large healing kit), during which time you can’t move around, shoot, or do anything really except for twirl the camera. Which means you’re very vulnerable indeed, so those walls will stop any bullets connecting with your face. Walls can also clip into cliffs and hills, so there’s no need to find an empty bit of land.

9. There’s fall damage above 3 storeys

This isn’t Borderlands: falling from a substantial height (above three storeys, to be precise - that’s three of the standard walls one above the other) will take a chunk of your health, so either build ramps downwards or try to slide down hills or cliffs.

10.  Always try to get the upper ground in a fight

When things start to get sticky and you find yourself in a gunfight with one of the 100 people running around the map, you want to be as high as possible. No, not in that way. Make sure you are above your opponent either by building ramps up into the sky, or by jumping repeatedly (which has the added bonus of making you harder to hit). A good strategy is to build four walls around yourself in a square, then build a ramp up to the wall facing your enemy. This’ll provide you with a good sniping platform that you can retreat down when you’re reloading. Just repeat the building formula upwards (jump to build below your feet) until you’re in a makeshift tower and have the upper hand - and gun, and grenade, and so forth...

11. Keep grenades, bandages, or shield potions in your inventory 

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It’s worth having at least one of the above items in your toolbar. Grenades are a great way to destroy some of your opponent’s cover, especially if you aim for the lowest part of their structure. Once the lowest level is destroyed, the rest of it will come tumbling down, leaving them out in the open and ready for your hail of bullets. Extra healing and shields will come in handy for when you’re backed into a corner but aren’t ready to give up, or you can share them with your squadmate if they’re in need of some first aid sharpish.

12. Don’t destroy trees completely

Using your pickaxe to destroy trees is an essential way to get wood for building materials, but do not destroy trees completely. Instead stop when the tree has 50 health left on its hitbar, as leaving a trail of destroyed vegetation in your wake makes it incredibly easy for other players to follow your tracks and hunt you down.

13. There are different types of bombs

It’s obvious what grenades do, but don’t be flummoxed when you find a stink bomb or boogie bomb. Stink bombs do area of effect damage, so use one when you’re trying to prevent players from closing in on you or for when you want to force them through another way where you hopefully have traps set up, ready and waiting. Boogie bombs look like small disco balls and make enemies dance uncontrollably, meaning they can’t fire their weapon at you… but you’ll certainly be able to unload your gun into them. Devious.

14. Make sure you've selected the right mode from the lobby

When you boot up the game it's automatically going to try and drop you into a squad with all the slots filled by random players. You may well want to go solo or drop into a duo instead, so just toggle the game mode first. It'll say just above "Ready" whatever mode you're in.

15. Crouching minimises the noise your feet make

Sneaky is as sneaky does, and being stealthy can be a great way to edge yourself closed to that coveted Battle Royale. Keeping yourself hidden is part of the trouble, but if you move while crouched you'll move much more quietly than if you run. It's a very useful trick if you can hear someone nearby, because you can manoeuvre yourself into a better hiding place before they come after you.

16. You have to buy a Battle Pass to get the majority of the rewards

Although there are some perks available without spending a single dime, if you want to get the best skins and other items you'll need to complete the gold Fortnite Battle Pass Challenges that are locked away behind the Battle Pass. It costs 950 V-Bucks, meaning you'll need to buy the smallest V-Bucks bundle, at $9.99 / £7.99. After that it's just a case of playing and ticking off as many challenges as you can to start earning yourself some gear.

17. You can break (almost) anything with your pickaxe

If you think you've got stuck in a building or built yourself inside a construction, don't fret. You can break (almost) anything with your pickaxe, so just start smashing your way out. But be careful, that little red circle icon that pops up means you're making noise and anyone nearby will hear it, so take your time escaping your current conundrum.

18. You can change your skin, stickers and emotes in the locker

All the skins, banner icons, gliders, harvesting tools, loading screen, contrails, emotes, dances, sprays and more all live in your Locker. You can switch them in and out from here before every match, but you won't be able to change any of it in match, so make sure you're happy with your look and your equipped items before you drop.

19. You can replace one of your daily challenges once per day

 Your daily challenges change once every day (surprise surprise), but if you don't like the look of them you can change one day. When you're in the lobby, click down on the left analog stick to bring up your daily challenges, then select the one you want to replace. Click down on the left analog stick again to dismiss it, and at that point you'll get another one in its place. It's worth pointing out that as soon as you start a challenge it'll stick around until you complete it, so make sure to check your daily challenges before jumping into a game.